Golf cart pulling device



March 2s, 1967 D. G.I FRANTZ 3,311,385

GOLF CART PULLING DEVICE Filed sept. 29, 1965 /NVE/vrof? LPH FNTZ United States Patent O 3,311,385 GOLF CART PULLING DEVICE Dolph G. Frantz, 3212 Dorchester Drive, Montgomery, Ala. 36111 Filed Sept. 29, 1965, Ser. No. 491,364 Claims. (Cl. 2S0--1.5)

This invention relates to Va device which is worn by a human t-o enable him to pull a portable cart. It is designed especially for golfers so they may easily pull their caddy-carts, and accordingly the following description is directed to such a use. Of course, the device of this invention may also be employed for pulling other types of small portable carts.

Rather than carrying their golf bags, many golfers prefer to use caddy-carts. These carts are usually small, lightweight two-wheeled vehicles with a forwardly projecting handle. They are shaped to receive a generally upstanding golf bag of conventional construction.

The widespread acceptance and use of caddy-carts has been notable; however, the golfer who uses them is still subjected to some disadvantages. At all times when he is pulling lthe cart, one of his hands must be used to hold the cart handle. This interferes with normal activities such as recording scores `and lighting cigarettes. Also, there is an inherent clumsiness involved in pulling the cart with the handle at the golfers side. He must either trail one arm behind himself or sometimes have the cart overrun his heels. This problem is accentuated when the golfer has to climb `a steep upgrade. There, `a -forward orientation of his hands is very helpful in maintaining proper balance; yet when he has a caddy-cart, one hand must be held `behind his back.Y If the grade is too steep, the golfer must sidestep up the hill to keep from losing his balance.

An important consideration in the design of a device 'worn by a golfer for engaging a caddy-cart is that it -rnust not interfere with the normal activities lof the golfer. When walking, he must be free to swing his arms along his sides without striking the cart, the attaching means or any other appartenance. When swinging at a ball, there must be not-hing to interfere with his movements. The cart should be located directly behind the golfer so that the walking golfer will not have to exert a greater pulling force with one `of his legs than with the other leg.

From the standpoint of convenience, any device of this type should be `capable of receiving many sizes and s'hapes of caddy-cart handles without the use of any auxiliary devices on the handles.

A primary object of the present invention is to provide a device which will eliminate all of the aforementioned disadvantages and possess all of the desirable features mentioned above. A golfer using this invention will have his hands free for all normal activities, and the manipulation of the cart 'while walking will be greatly simpliiied.

Another object of this invention is to provide a novel, simple and eicient means for engaging the handle of a portable cart.

Still another lobject is to provide a cart-engaging device which may be comfortably worn by a golfer, yet will withstand and sustain the various forces `created while pulling a cart.

These and other objects are satisfied by the invention which comprises ya vertically extending member adapted to lie along the lower spinal portion of a human, with means :on the vertically extending member for attaching it to an article of apparel. Attached to an upper portion of the vertically extending member is la downwardly and rearwardly extending handle-engaging member. This handle-engaging member has a slot with a width less than the diameter of a cart handle, and it is capable of retaining a handle therewithin.

Ei LESS Patented Mar. 28, 1967 A more complete understanding of the invention and a description of one of its preferred embodiments is found in the following specificati-on and the drawings wherein FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the device being worn by ya golfer, in which the device is holding a caddy-cart handle;

FIG. 2 is a front elevation of the device;

FIG. 3 is a side elevation of the device; and

FIG. 4 is -a sectional view through the line 4-4 in FIG. 3.

In FIG. l, it will be noted that the device includes two principal components, the planar member 2 which is attached to the golfers belt and the handle-engaging member 4 which projects downwardly and rearwardly from the golfer.

The planar member 2 is ygenerally T-shaped and it comprises a rigid, ilat, horizontally .oriented element 6 and the vertically oriented element These elements `6 and 8 may be riveted together as shown, or they may be an integral piece. Metal or plastic materials may 'be used. At the opposite lateral ends of the planar member 2 are rectangular apertures 10 and 12 which, as shown in FIG. l, receive the belt 14 of a golfer. The element 8 is slightly curved at its lower end as shown in FIG. 3 so it will conform to the spine of the golfer and will not cut into the golfers back. This element 8 has dual functions. First, it prevents the upper element `5 and the golfers belt 14 lfrom twisting when a load is applied to the device. Second, it acts as a shield or protector `to prevent the cart handle from striking the golfer.

The handle-engaging member 4 may be fabricated from an elongated piece of resilient material such as steel wire or a plastic. It is in the general shape of an upstanding U; i.e. it has a lower base portion 16 with legs 18 and 20 extending upwardly therefrom.

The shape `and dimensions of the U-shaped handleengaging element 4 `are correlated to the dimensions of a typical golf cart handle 22. As shown in FIG. 2, the handle has a handgrip portion 24 which terminates at its outermost end in a radially enlarged portion 26. This enlarged portion 26 has a radial diameter 'which is greater than the distance between the legs 18 and Ztl -of the U- shaped handle-engaging member 4. Therefore, when a cart handle 22 is held in the position shown in FIG. l, it cannot be withdrawn by pulling it in a rearward direction. Any movement of the handle rearwardly will, in fact, increase the frictional engagement between U-shaped member 4 and the cart handle 22.

In this device, it is desirable that the legs 18 and 20 of the U-shaped member 4 be spaced apart a distance slightly less than the diameter of the handle 22. This creates a frictional engagement between the interengaging members and prevents the handle 22 from sliding forwardly in the U-shaped handle-engaging member 4.

Near the upper end of the U-shaped member 4, the legs 18 and 20 are spaced relatively closely together at 28. The slot 30 formed therebelow within the U-shapcd member may be characterized as a handle-engaging portion since the cart handle 22 is always located therein Iwhen the device is heing used.

Above the constriction 28, the legs 18 and 20 diverge at lf3 and 20. This affords a wide zone 4or slot portion between the legs which will permit the radially enlarged portion 26 of the handle 22 to be inserted therebetween. A golfer attaching his caddy-cart to the handle-engaging element 4 will simply pass the radially enlarged portion 26 of the handle between the divergent portions 18" and 20' of the legs, while forcing the remainder of the handle through the constriction 28. The resilient U-shaped member will spread apart and then frictionally retain the handle in the manner shown in FIG. l.

At the forward end of the U-shaped handle-engaging member, the legs 18 and 20 are turned downwardly at 18 and 20 to lie parallel and adjacent to the planar member 2. The legs each have a tightly looped end portion 32 and 34. Rivets 36 and 38 are used to attach the looped end portions 32 and 34 to the planar member 2. The leg portions 18" and 20 are also secured to the T-shaped planar member 2 by small plates 37 and 39 which are held in place @by rivets 4G and 42, in the manner illustrated in FIG. 4.

The use of a resilient material for the Ueshaped handleengaging element 4 has certain practical advantages 'which enhance the operation of the present invention. As pointed out above, it assures positive engagement of fthe cart handle when it is in the slot 30, and it also provides resistance to 4movement yof the cart handle 22 through the constriction 28. Additionally, the resilience of this element will absorb some of the vibrational shocks of the handle when the cart is moving over rough terrain.

An important feature of this invention is that the interengagement between handle 22 and the U-shaped member 4 is not materially affected by the angle of inclination of the cart handle. Thus, the secure and eicient connection between these elements is the same when the golfer is walking downhill and the angle -of inclination of 4the handle is a minimum, and when he is walking uphill and the angle of inclination of the handle is at its maximum.

From the fore-going description, it will be appreciated that the disclosed device is a simple and convenient mean-s for achieving the objects of this invention. The golcter may walk and swing his clubs without any discomfort or interference. The cart handle requires no modification. The cart may 'be secured in the device lwhen Walking, and it may be removed easily at any time.

Only one embodiment of the invention has been shown and described. Of course, many variations thereof will occur to those working in the art. The full breadth and scope of the invention is not restricted to the sole disclosed embodiment, but is delineated by the claims which follow.

For clarity and convenience of expression, the claims recite the various elements of the device as it is oriented while in use.

I claim:

1. A device adapted to be attached to a human for pulling a portable vehicle having a handle, comprising,

a vertically extending member adapted to lie along the lower back portion of a human, means on said vertically extending member attaching it to an article of apparel, a generally upright U-shaped member attached to said vertically extending member and extending downwardly and rearwardly from an upper portion of said vertically extending member, said U- shaped member having legs spaced apart a distance rendering it capable of -frictionally engaging a said handle.

2. A device adapted to be attached to a human for pulling a portable vehicle having a handle, comprising,

a vertically extending member adapted to lie along the lower back portion of a human, means for attaching said vertically extending member to an article of apparel,

a handle engaging member attached to and extending downwardly and rearwardly from an upper portion of said vertically extending member, said handle engaging member having a slot with a width less than the diameter of a said handle and capable of frictionally retaining a handle therewithin.

3. A device adapted to be attached t-o a human for pulling a portable vehicle having a handle, comprising,

a planar member extending vertically and bein-g slightly curved at its lower end to conform to the lower 'back portion of a human, means for attaching said ver tically extending member to an article of apparel, a resilient handle-engaging member attached to and extending downwardly and rearwardly from an upper portion of said planar member, said handle-engaging member having a slot with a width less than the diameter of a said handle and capable of frictionally retaining a handle therewithin.

4. A device adapted to be attached to a human for pulling a portable cart which has a handle, comprising, a substantially at T-shaped member having belt-receiving openings proximate to the opposite lateral ends thereof, a U-shaped resilient member for engaging a cart handle, said resilient member having a base portion and generally upwardly extending spaced apart legs, said legs having their uppermost ends lattached to said T-shaped member at spaced apart points, said U-shaped resilient member lying at an acute angle to said T-shaped member, said resilient member having a handle-engaging portion between said legs dened on one end by the base portion of said U-shaped member yand on the other end by a portion at which said legs are spaced apart a distance less than at said handle-engaging portion.

S.. A device Iadapted to be attached to a human for pulling a portable vehicle having a handle with a radially enlarged end portion, comprising,

a vertically extending member adapted to lie along the lower back portion of a human, means for Iattaching said vertically extending member to an article of apparel,

a handle-engaging `member attached to and extending downwardly and rearwardly from an upper portion of said vertically extending member, said handleengaging member having a slot with an upper portion substantially wider than the remainder thereof to ena'ble it to receive `said radially enlarged end portion of said Ihandle, said slot having a lower handleengaging portion with a width less than a radial dimension of said enlarged portion; whereby a handle may be engaged within said handle-engaging portion hy inserting its enlarged portion in said upper portion of said slot, and said handle moved into said lower handle-engaging portion to retain it therewith- References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,024,653 4/1912 Sargent 224-5 1,872,753 8/ 1932 Krebs 224-5 2,559,981 7/ 1951 McBride 224-5 2,835,944 5/ 195 8 Johnston 224-5 LEO FRIAGLIA, Primary Examiner. 

1. A DEVICE ADAPTED TO BE ATTACHED TO A HUMAN FOR PULLING A PORTABLE VEHICLE HAVING A HANDLE, COMPRISING, A VERTICALLY EXTENDING MEMBER ADAPTED TO LIE ALONG THE LOWER BACK PORTION OF A HUMAN, MEANS ON SAID VERTICALLY EXTENDING MEMBER ATTACHING IT TO AN ARTICLE OF APPAREL, A GENERALLY UPRIGHT U-SHAPED MEMBER ATTACHED TO SAID VERTICALLY EXTENDING MEMBER AND EXTENDING DOWNWARDLY AND REARWARDLY FROM AN UPPER PORTION OF SAID VERTICALLY EXTENDING MEMBER, SAID USHAPED MEMBER HAVING LEGS SPACED APART A DISTANCE RENDERING IT CAPABLE OF FRICTIONALLY ENGAGING A SAID HANDLE. 